You should know this BEFORE You VOTE!!!!!!!!!! (FYI).............................

Did you know if you wear any clothing with your candidates name or likeness to the voting booth, you will not be able to vote. They say you are not allowed to campaign so many feet around a polling booth. so please don't wear any clothing with your candidates name or likeness.

I didn't know if people knew this. It seems silly but it is important.[Edited 9/26/08 13:34pm]

Reply #1 posted 09/25/08 11:50am

HatrinaHaterwitz

I just heard an announcement from our City Clerk and she said those are scare tactics, attempting to scare people away from the polls. She said she doesn't care what you have on as long as it's not vulgar or offensive, if you show up to exercise your right to vote, you will be allowed to vote.

Just thought I'd pass that on.

See life is just a game. We're all just the same. Do you want to play?

Reply #2 posted 09/25/08 12:02pm

SUPRMAN

jaimestarr79 said:

Did you know if you wear any clothing with your candidates name or likeness to the voting booth, you will not be able to vote. They say you are not allowed to campaign so many feet around a polling booth. so please don't wear any clothing with your candidates name or likeness.

I didn't know if people knew this. It seems silly but it is important.

What I wear to vote in is my personal endorsement.
I don't think that is campaigning.

I don't want you to think like me. I just want you to think.

Reply #3 posted 09/25/08 12:08pm

SUPRMAN

Voting Attire Stirring Debate In Pennsylvania
Posted in September 20th, 2008
by Glenn Church in Pennsylvania

Local election officials in Pennsylvania are facing individual decisions on how to handle “passive electioneering” at the polls. Currently, there are regulations prohibiting campaigning for a candidate outside the polls.

State Republicans are pushing for a stronger interpretation of the law. They do not want voters to come in with T-shirts, buttons or other political decorations, even if they do not advocate for the candidates directly.

In the past, some polling places have taken the position of the GOP. They have even required voters to turn their T-shirts inside out before voting. Other polling sites let the voter go straight to the voting booth as long as they do not talk to anyone about their candidate.

State officials are continuing to let local officials decide. The state says the law is clear that campaigning cannot go on outside a polling site. However, the law is unclear about “passive electioneering” during voting.

Two election officials are taking the state to court to clarify the matter. They fear the different standards will lead to confusion.

In Montgomery County, no candidate paraphernalia will be allowed inside the 418 polling stations. In Philadelphia, there are no restrictions on voting attire as long as the voter is only voting.

Pennsylvania is a battleground state. Is the next voting scandal going to erupt on November 5 because voters were turned away when wearing Obama or Palin T-shirts?

Inquirer Staff Writer
HARRISBURG - If top state Republicans get their way, you can forget about wearing that Obama T-shirt when you step up to cast your vote Nov. 4.

Palin pins will be off limits, too.

It's called "passive electioneering," and GOP officials yesterday called on the Rendell administration to enforce a little-known, decades-old law that they say bans such things.

"We strongly believe Pennsylvanians should be able to look to the polling place as a safe harbor, free of any type of electioneering, without any outside influences," Robert Gleason, chairman of the state Republican Party, said at a Capitol news conference.

In past years, some local election officials across Pennsylvania - though not in Philadelphia - have enforced the provision, going as far as asking voters to turn their T-shirts inside out.

But this year, the Rendell administration has softened its stance on the issue.

The ACLU and the League of Women Voters last month asked the Pennsylvania Department of State to weigh on in the topic, believing that preventing voters from wearing T-shirts with a candidate's name on it infringes on their freedom of speech.

Two weeks ago, Department of State officials sent letters to the state's 67 county boards of elections, advising them that, although state law bans electioneering inside a polling place, it doesn't define what the term means.

Merely wearing shirts and buttons doesn't constitute electioneering as long as no other attempts to influence voters are made, the memo said. In short, the state is letting county boards of elections decide whether to police what people wear.

Having to decide on their own whether a shirt stepped over the line would turn election poll workers into "fashion police," said Sandra Newman, a former state Supreme Court justice and head of the Republican Party's Fair Elections Task Force.

"We might even have to become Vogue editors."

Newman joined Gleason at yesterday's news conference.

Their comments came as two local election officials from Allegheny County were filing a lawsuit in Harrisburg, asking Commonwealth Court to force the state to impose a uniform standard against T-shirts, buttons, and other campaign paraphernalia inside polling places.

Allowing individual counties to decide has led to confusion, said Gleason, who accused the Rendell administration of creating its own laws as opposed to enforcing those on the books.

The Department of State is standing by its memo.

"We want to see every eligible Pennsylvanian have the right to vote. We don't want to get them bogged down in thinking about taking off a T-shirt," said Chet Harhut, who heads the state's Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation.

Some counties don't plan any changes.

Campaign T-shirts and buttons won't be allowed inside any of the 418 polling places in Montgomery County, said Joseph Passarella, its director of voter services.

Before the flap, Passarella said, he hadn't heard of "passive electioneering."

"No one had," he added. "And by saying it's passive electioneering, aren't you implying that it is a form of electioneering?"

Still, Passarella said it's much ado about very little. In the last 15 years, there might have been one or two instances in Montgomery County of someone making an issue out of someone else's wearing a political T-shirt or button.

Philadelphia officials, however, say they plan to continue with a long-standing practice of allowing voters to wear whatever they want.

"We have interpreted the law the same way for more than 30 years: You can wear a button, wear a T-shirt, as long as you are in the act of voting," said Fred Voigt, deputy city commissioner. "It's called the First Amendment."

Gleason stressed yesterday that the issue was not partisan and called on the state Democratic Party to join the effort. That won't happen.

"While people are losing their jobs, their homes are being foreclosed at an alarming rate, and the economy is literally collapsing all around us, Republicans are worried about buttons and T-shirts at polling places," said Abe Amorós, spokesman for the state Democratic Party. "It's further evidence of how out of touch they are."

Is a candidate’s pin or t-shirt considered electioneering?
September 25th, 2008 · 3 Comments

By: Charles Mombo
http://www.Chocolatecity.cc/blog

Is a candidate’s pin,t-shirt or button considered electioneering in a polling place?

Electioneering is the act of persuading or attempting to persuade; communication intended to induce belief or action.

The answer to this question in most states is not a straight forward “Yes” or “No” answer. As an example, Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of State, with a little prodding from the American Civil Liberties Union agreed to the wearing of a candidate’s pin,t-shirt or button in a polling place. Pennsylvania Election advised counties to allow "passive electioneering" within polling stations, which it said includes "wearing tee shirts, clothing or buttons with the candidate’s or party’s name, picture or emblem."

A memo was written after the American Civil Liberties Union and League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, citing First Amendment rights, asked the department to narrow its definition of "electioneer."

If you are in Illinois and several other states, I will warn you not to get excited just yet.

What actually prompted my concern to blog on this topic? Well, today an email was forwarded to me from a former student, Ms. Rukiya Taylor. The email along with its title reads as follow:

PLEASE READ ASAP! - Important Info about Voting Day!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADVISE EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY CAN
NOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS, PINS OR HATS, IT IS
AGAINST THE LAW AND WILL BE GROUNDS TO HAVE THE POLLING OFFICIALS TO
TURN YOU AWAY.
THAT IS CONSIDERED CAMPAIGNING AND NO ONE CAN CAMPAIGN WITHIN X AMOUNT
OF FEET TO THE POLLS. THEY ARE BANKING ON US BEING EXCITED AND NOT BEING
AWARE OF THIS LONG STANDING LAW THAT YOU CAN BET WILL BE ENFORCED THIS
YEAR!!!!!

THEY ARE BANKING THAT IF ARE TURNED AWAY YOU WILL NOT GO HOME AND CHANGE
YOUR CLOTHES.. PLEASE JUST DON’T WEAR OBAMA GEAR OF ANY SORTS TO THE
POLLS!! PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION, OH AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE
ALREADY AWARE THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE. JUST
TRYING TO COVER ALL GROUNDS.

Since the above email and its many IP Addresses orginated within the State of Illinois, I immediately called the Illinois State Board of Elections in Springfield, Illinois at 217-217-782-4141 to verified the accuracy of the above email. I was transferred to an attorney who literally walked me through the Illinois Election Code Section 7.29 which basically states that it is the "sole discretion of the election officers" to ask one to remove his/her candidate’s t-shirt, hat or button if they deem it to be offensive.

Election 2008 is not a joke. The US Presidential Election of 2008 has already been one of the most exciting elections in modern history. Therefore, if one insist on wearing Obama’s or McCain’s t-shirt, be prepared to have another shirt underneath just incase you are asked to remove your candidate’s shirt.

Personally, to play it safe, I suggest that you do not wear your t-shirt, hat or button until you have left the polling station.

Summary: Email rumor warns Barack Obama supporters not to wear Obama shirts, pins, hats, or other paraphernalia to polling places because it is considered campaigning (electioneering) under the law and grounds for officials to turn voters away.

Variant #1:
Email example contributed by Elena W., Sep. 23, 2008:

Campaigning at the Polls

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADVISE EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS, PINS OR HATS. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW AND WILL BE GROUNDS TO HAVE THE POLLING OFFICIALS TO TURN YOU AWAY.

THAT IS CONSIDERED CAMPAIGNING AND NO ONE CAN CAMPAIGN WITHIN X AMOUNT OF FEET TO THE POLLS. THEY ARE BANKING ON US BEING EXCITED AND NOT BEING AWARE OF THIS LONG STANDING LAW THAT YOU CAN BET WILL BE ENFORCED THIS YEAR!!!!!

THEY ARE BANKING THAT IF YOU ARE TURNED AWAY YOU WILL NOT GO HOME AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES. PLEASE JUST DON'T WEAR OBAMA GEAR OF ANY SORTS TO THE POLLS!! PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION.

OH, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ALREADY AWARE, THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE, JUST TRYING TO COVER ALL GROUNDS.

FROM THE CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE VOTER FRAUD PROTECTION HANDBOOK:

When I went into my polling booth, I noticed a little pencil with a candidateʼs name on it urging voters to be sure and mark the box for him. Can they do that?
No, it is illegal to have items with a candidateʼs name on them in the polling place. This constitutes electioneering and any electioneering must be conducted a minimum of 100 feet from the place where people are voting. Sometimes, a voter inadvertently leaves such materials in the voting booth. (EC §18370)

A lady working at my polling place last Election Day was wearing a T-shirt that said "Down with Liberals" on it. Can she wear that?
Because such a t-shirt doesnʼt actually advocate voting for or against a particular candidate or measure, itʼs not considered electioneering. If the shirt had a statement for or against something or someone on the ballot, it would not be allowed within 100 feet of the polls. If the elections official is aware of the situation, he or she will likely request that the woman cover it up or change into something that does not cause the slightest appearance of partisanship. (EC §18370, 18541, 18546)

Comments: Laws against campaigning or "electioneering" in and around polling places are pretty much universal, though each state boasts its own specific regulations and varying degrees of enforcement.

The majority of states use language prohibiting voters and poll workers from "distributing," "circulating," "posting," or "exhibiting" campaign materials within 10 to 200 feet of polling places. This is sometimes interpreted as including buttons, t-shirts, hats, and other political garb (often called "passive electioneering"), but is more often restricted to signs, posters, fliers, pamphlets, and the like.
At least 10 states -- Delaware, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont -- explicitly prohibit the wearing of pins, buttons, stickers, labels, or other "political insignia."

Passive electioneering in Pennsylvania

The timing, specificity, and emphatic tone of this email suggest it was prompted by recent events in Pennsylvania, where the interpretation of a law prohibiting electioneering has long been left up to individual counties, resulting in its inconsistent application across the state. After citizens in some localities complained that they were prevented from voting or were asked to remove articles of clothing because they wore political-themed buttons or t-shirts, the ACLU requested a clarification of the law.

In response, Pennsylvania elections commissioner Chet Harhut sent a memo to county elections boards in September 2008 declaring that wearing buttons or t-shirts is not sufficient grounds to prevent anyone from voting. However, the law still leaves it largely to the discretion of local officials, some of whom have stated they will not change their criteria.

At last report, the Republican Party was petitioning the state to enforce a statewide ban on passive electioneering. The Democratic Party declined to join the effort.

Voters should check local regulations

There's room to debate the constitutionality of such restrictions, but right or wrong they are currently the law in some parts of the country, so it behooves individual voters to familiarize themselves with the regulations of their own states and act accordingly.

Contact your state or local elections board for specific guidelines. If in doubt, leave the campaign paraphernalia at home.

I don't want you to think like me. I just want you to think.

Reply #7 posted 09/26/08 1:34pm

jaimestarr79

That's for the additonal info orgers.

Reply #8 posted 09/26/08 2:22pm

lazycrockett

This isn't new shit, the no campaigning rules have been in place for years. I think its like 200 or so feet. This includes signs and campaigners.

simply enough, don't wear a political t shirt when you go to vote.

geez. Civics really needs to be a requirement for high schoolers and GEDers.

The Most Important Thing In Life Is Sincerity....Once You Can Fake That, You Can Fake Anything.

Reply #9 posted 09/26/08 2:35pm

scotmann

true, this should be common knowledge...

this isn't a new GOP thing,
it may seem like it, because most uninformed, right off the bus voters don't know this rule and are usually the ones most targeted by Democrat party registration drives.

so pull off those Obama messiah shirts, and I'll pull off my Palin power button and go vote

I just heard an announcement from our City Clerk and she said those are scare tactics, attempting to scare people away from the polls. She said she doesn't care what you have on as long as it's not vulgar or offensive, if you show up to exercise your right to vote, you will be allowed to vote.

Just thought I'd pass that on.

They had a discussion about this on the Tom Joyner show. They had an election offficial call in to confirm what you say is true. However, the issue is how the polling staff will interpret your t-shirt, buttons, hat, ect. The rule is that one cannot campaign or "electioneer" within 50 feet of the polling station, but apparently there have been issues at certain polling stations where the poll staff chose to interpret people's election paraphenalia as offensive, then turn them away from voting if they would not "refrain from electioneering". It's a scare tactic, but sadly, in small povincial areas it has been working.

Basically the Tom Joyner morning show as well as their political consultant asked that as an ounce of prevention (vs. a pound of cure) Obama supporters PLEASE simply wear plain t-shirts and/or logo-less clothing as to not jeapordize their chance of voting, PERIOD.

IF ANYONE WITNESSESS ANY VOTER IRREGULARITIES, PLEASE CALL THE FOLLOWING HOTLINE FROM THE TOM JOYNER MORNING SHOW DESCRIBING WHAT YOU HAVE WITNESSED AT::

1-866-MYVOTE1

and they will report it on air as a heads up to warn millions of other listeners, in addition to having counsel and consultants to call in and advise us as to what our rights and recourses are as voters.

AGAIN:

1-866-MYVOTE1 , if there appears to be any subterfuge or shady behavior taking place during your voting experience.

.[Edited 9/26/08 15:00pm]

Reply #11 posted 09/26/08 11:10pm

bluesbaby

I am keeping extra church shirts available so people can put one on if they get any grief, and go ahead and vote.